“It is history and it is fascinating”: Katherine Fite and the Nuremberg War Crime Trials, 1945

Today’s post comes from Tammy Williams, archivist and social media coordinator at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. In 1945, while Katherine Fite worked as an Assistant to the Legal Advisor in the State Department, her supervisor recommended her for a temporary assignment as an assistant to Justice Robert H. Jackson with the … Continue reading “It is history and it is fascinating”: Katherine Fite and the Nuremberg War Crime Trials, 1945

Regrets, he had a few . . .

This post comes to us from Miriam Kleiman, Program Director for Public Affairs.  After 20 years at the National Archives (first as a researcher, then employee), I’m still delighted to discover new (to me) archival treasures. Not so long ago, a reporter asked me if the Archives had any Frank Sinatra–related records to mark the centennial … Continue reading Regrets, he had a few . . .

Ten years after a call for help, Iraqi Jewish documents go on display

In June of 2003, the National Archives Preservation Programs received a call for help from Iraq. Sixteen American soldiers had found tens of thousands of documents and 2,700 Jewish books while searching in the flooded basement of Saddam Hussein’s intelligence headquarters. The historic material was soaking wet. And so Doris Hamburg and Mary-Lynn Ritzenthaler boarded … Continue reading Ten years after a call for help, Iraqi Jewish documents go on display

Facial Hair Friday: Portrait of the Artist with a Mustache

This self portrait, with carefully groomed mustache in the center, is a glamorous photo of a hardworking, groundbreaking photographer. James Stephen "Steve" Wright was from a working-class family in Washington, DC. By the 1940s he was head of photographic operations for the Federal Works Agency. But like many young black men at the time, he … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: Portrait of the Artist with a Mustache

Constitution 225: It was secret, but we know about it

Today’s post was written by National Archives volunteer Paul Richter. It is part of a series tracing the development of the Constitution in honor of the 225th anniversary of this document on September 17, 2012. In the earliest days of the Constitutional Convention, the delegates agreed their proceedings would be secret. As the convention drew … Continue reading Constitution 225: It was secret, but we know about it